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COVID-19: Keeping you safe at Icon Cancer Centre

COVID-19 Vaccine – Your questions answered

Information for cancer patients and immunosuppressed persons.

Important information for South East Queensland patients – 01 August 2021

As per Queensland Government directive, 11 South East Queensland LGAs are in a lockdown as of 4 pm Saturday 31 July. As an essential healthcare service, Icon Cancer Centre remains open for all patient treatments and appointments during this period.

A reminder that you can leave your household to access healthcare, and it is important that patients continue with their scheduled visits during this time. Please be reassured that we are undertaking the most stringent hygiene practices and screening measures to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and doctors. As per Queensland Health directive, please ensure you wear a mask on your way to your appointment; we will provide you a fresh one upon arrival.

It is important that you contact your centre for further advice before visiting if any of the following apply to you.

If you have been directed to isolate, and you have an appointment at Icon Cancer Centre within the 14-day quarantine period, please contact your centre for further advice
If you have been in close contact with an infected person or a person who has been identified as a close contact of a case, please contact your centre for further advice
If you have visited any of the identified hotspot locations during the listed time

Visitor restrictions are in place

Accompanying visitors are not permitted at health facilities as per Queensland Health’s directive. This includes Icon Cancer Centre sites in South East Queensland. If you require an essential support person, please contact your centre for further advice.

Do not attend the centre if you have any symptoms

We urge patients not to attend the centre and get tested if they, or anyone they live with, develop any COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are mild. Anyone being tested must isolate until the test results are received.

Symptoms include:

Fever
Cough
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Runny nose
Fatigue
Loss of smell and/or taste
Other symptoms people may experience include muscle or joint pain, diarrhoea, nausea and/or vomiting and loss of appetite.

We understand that the current COVID-19 situation may be concerning to you and your family and we are here to support you.

If you are an Icon patient and have concerns regarding this announcement, please contact your local Icon Cancer Centre during business hours.

COVID-19 screening process

Icon is dedicated to ensuring the ongoing safety of our patients and staff. We are currently rolling out a COVID-19 screening process across our centres for all staff, patients, support people, visitors, contractors, medical reps and delivery people who attend our centres.

Patients

Patients with a mobile phone will receive an SMS on the day prior to their appointment with instructions on how to self-screen, before arriving at our cancer centres. For those patients without a mobile phone, screening paperwork will be made available to complete at the centre on arrival.

Visitors, contractors, medical representatives, delivery people

Everyone attending our cancer centres will be required to undertake COVID-19 screening on arrival. Those with a phone camera will be able to scan a QR code at the entrance of the centre and complete the screening questionnaire. For those without a mobile phone, screening paperwork will be made available to complete at the centre on arrival.

Please complete your COVID-19 screening

Screening questions

The screening system will ask the questions related to:*:

COVID-19 symptoms
Recent travel from overseas/interstate or from a COVID-19 hotspot
Close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19
COVID-19 testing and results

*Questions are subject to change, over time.

Patients undertaking the SMS screening will receive a reply with either:

A ‘thank you’ response advising them to arrive for their appointment as planned, and asking them to show the message on arrival OR
A response to call the centre and follow up BEFORE arriving at centre

All patient and visitor data collected will be stored safely and securely and managed in accordance with Privacy Policy — Icon Cancer Centre.

COVID-19 safety commitment

As we continue to face the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) global pandemic, we want to reassure you that we are undertaking the most stringent hygiene practices and screening measures to ensure your safety within each and every one of our centres at Icon. We also need to protect the health of our staff so that they can remain with you during your treatment journey.

Within Icon centres, our staff are vigilant for anyone displaying symptoms. You may be provided with a mask and assessed in one of our consulting rooms if you display symptoms or if anyone accompanying you does. We have several additional precautions in place, such as:

Limiting our visitors so that we can provide more space in our waiting area
Removed frequently handled magazines and other items from the waiting area
Fast tracking patients in waiting areas to ensure that close contact periods (see below) with individuals other than your treating staff are not exceeded
Providing additional hand sanitising stations for everyone to use. Hand sanitiser has been identified as the best alternative to handwashing. You should use our hand sanitiser when you arrive, when you leave and before you eat anything.

A team of our medical staff are continuously reviewing our safety precautions in line with government advice and community infection numbers.

新型冠状病毒感染|我们如何保证您在我们中心的安全

To access a printable version of this information in both English and Chinese, please click here.

COVID-19 vaccine

For information on the COVID-19 vaccine and its safety and efficacy for cancer patients and immunosuppressed persons, click here.

Frequently asked questions for patients

Should I do anything differently?

Unless advised otherwise by your doctor, please continue to attend treatment as normal and practice good personal hygiene when travelling to and from your appointments.

Should I be wearing a mask?

Australia’s state and territory health authorities are continually updating their directives in regards to the use of masks within health centres. Please see the list below to determine if a mask is required to be worn when attending an Icon Cancer Centre in your state or territory.

Queensland – all patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks, with the exception of Icon Cancer Centre Mackay and Icon Cancer Centre Cairns

New South Wales – all patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks

Australian Capital Territory – all patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks

Victoria – all patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks

Tasmania – no masks are required at this time

South Australia – all patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks

Western Australia – all patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks

If you are in an area where a mask is required, one will be provided to you upon entry to our cancer centre.

What can I do to reduce my risk of contracting coronavirus?

Practicing strict personal hygiene and social distancing are some of the best ways that you can reduce your risk of exposure to COVID-19. Here are some ways that you and those around you can keep you safe:

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Dry your hands.
Cough or sneeze into your arm, use a tissue, bin the tissue, wash your hands
Stay 1.5 metres away from others and avoid shaking hands, hugging and kissing others.
Avoid crowds and gatherings where it’s difficult to maintain distance from others for example family celebrations or public places
Reduce your contact with others to fifteen minutes of close ‘face to face contact, or less than two hours in the same room.
Limit all visitors during this time and avoid those that are unwell in any way.
If someone in your house is unwell they should use a different bedroom and bathroom if possible.
Consider telehealth consultations for your medical appointments. Many care providers including Icon can arrange for your consultations to be held over video call or Skype. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Should I avoid public transport and large gatherings of people?

If possible, patients receiving treatment for cancer should not travel using public transport. Talk to your care team about available transport to treatment options. Visiting crowded places can increase your risk of COVID-19, so limiting close interactions is encouraged

What do I do if I think I may have COVID-19 and have a fever or flu-like symptoms?

If you’re undergoing treatment for cancer, it is important to always contact the centre immediately or go to the nearest emergency room if you develop a fever. Many of the known symptoms of COVID-19 can be confused with general symptoms and side-effects experienced by cancer patients. We advise you to closely monitor your health, looking out for new or worsening symptoms, and call your centre if you are feeling unwell. For further information and advice on COVID-19, the Coronavirus Health Information Line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 020 080.

What will happen if I contract COVID-19 during my treatment?

At Icon, we manage many conditions with a wide variety of treatments. It is not uncommon for our patients to develop seasonal flu and other infections during active treatment cancer care and we are well prepared to manage your safety and the safety of our staff if you do develop COVID-19. At this point in time you may need a temporary break from treatment, treatment after hours or in a dedicated protected treatment area, or treatment at another site. Your doctors will carefully consider what is the best approach in your circumstance.

Regularly washing your hands and practicing strict personal hygiene is the best way to reduce your risk of developing COVID-19.

Helpful links

We want to reassure our patients and families that Icon Cancer Centre is following all government direction and advice, and continuously reviewing our screening and hygiene practices to keep you as safe as possible while in our centre. Please continue to follow our hand hygiene instructions and the advice of your treatment team. Most importantly, do not attend our centres with cold or flu like symptoms. Phone ahead for advice.